Determination of Average Reservoir Pressure From Build-Up Surveys ‘ABSTRACT. A method for determining average reservoir pressure i= presented, which is simpler to opply than that devised By Matthews, Brons and Hazebrock. For bounded reservoirs, entice! results are obtained If stabilized-fow conditions prevail. The present method yiels inferior vests in the Iansent state, The method can, with a sigh modifcation, tl be used for wolerdrive eservolrs INTRODUCTION In the method proposed by Matthews, Broas and Haze- broek for determining average reservoir pressure in a mul- tiovell reservoir, the cumulative production (the produc tion time of each well) enters twice: once when the build. ‘up is ploted against In (r+ a1) /Ar to arrive at p*, and ‘second time when the cortestion, p*—p is determined ‘with one of the several formlas Tor differently shaped Arnage areas. (Once a steady state hasbeen attained, however, the prev- Jos prodvction history should be immaterial. ‘The same pressure distbution could have been arrived at afte ferent cumulative productions of the individual well In Principle therefore, t should be possible to determine a¥- rage pressures without refering to cumulative produc. In the following paragraphs an expression is presented {or the diference between the pressure ina producing well and the average pressure of ts drainage area. Then the bulllp time needed to overcome this ilerence is ind cated. ‘CASE OF A CIRCULAR DRAINAGE AREA ‘AND A CENTRAL WELL. SAESsURE pisTRIBUTION ‘eneral diferential equation of radial Now (see Maat! Ey 102) aa ' » An 2( +2) =2etter®. ay In the steady sate the rate of production of the well is ‘equal tothe rte of expansion of the fluid contained fa the Serine this ‘er gol oh loin tis te Ds | ovum goon ex rors usoHATONU wwemee(2) tod therefore, combining Exe. 1 and 2 we have 2(, 2) sm a4 Eh which can be integrated to AVERAGE PRESSURE OF SHE DRAINAGE AREA ‘The average pressure can be expressed as epmweafo ition of £7 and interaton yes Sat -s}te sunLDUP, @ @) oy sy o o @ ° If Eq, 7 is applied to the wellbore at rand if Cy is liminated by the combination with Eq. 9, we have for pressure at the well under steady-state conditions 3) - 0 Pose ‘he ‘After shutin, and a long as the physical boundaries of the entize reservoir have no influence, the pressure ‘teases according (0 the Well-known expression, Bo ouere al op. = ~ qi ei (- =) , Beak ns Beer AME Sheets, Haewhich, for guere'/akar<0.01, can be approximated by aa apm ~ iz (ost +1 ‘Addition of Bas, 10 and 12 yields an expression forthe straight-line part ofthe buildup curve if pressure is plotted against Indy thus rata) = pee [in 3 + os buen smite] a “The well radius cancels out, 28a skinactor would have done if it had been introduced therefore 3a Folin [9 (On this straight in, or on is extrapolation, the value of is found at the point where the form in brackets van- ‘Shes. For this purpose, the line should be read at vert guent gcd iy = HEE, = fer ge as) ‘is known from the slope ofthe build-up curve, and $6 and can be determined by known methods nao Sie came]. ay DRAINAGE AREAS HAVING DIVERSE SHAPES AND WELL POSITIONS circular drainage area nd Ould be ob Eq, 15 is applicable only to central well. Although similar expresso tained ina like manne for other drainage sess itis mach ‘more convenient to use some of the hgures presented in Ref. 1. The curves of Figs. 2 through 8 in Ref, 1 become straight ines for sufficiently Targe values of These line pats can be represented by equations such as in Cat uF aR" Spc” Where Cy isa constant dependent on the shape of the ares tod on the well position, isa point at Ar= 29 on a sesghtsine extrapol ‘of the bull-up plot vs In (-+a1)/at. p can be cons fred asa point at Sty on stright esrapoation of buil-up plot vs In 1/31, since the early part of the bulld- ‘up can be approximated by a6) ope jg BEE pola) = pt eg ar - et feet. - an [Extrapolatng the straightsine part of this type of plot 's equivelent (0 using the latter expression beyond the vsl- {aity of the above approximation. By defaition, the point (p.is) ison the stalghtsline extrapolation, and this pair of valls should satisfy Ea, 17, which leads to yo py t cd as) (Combination of Bas. 16 and 18 yields uc a= SA, cee as) Which is a generalized form of Eq. 15. “The shape facior C, can be obtained from Ref. 1 by the consideration that Eq. 16 is reduced to Shir exapeation atthe sbuciea alo of Ege = ‘The rete ae ited in Table 1 For smaller alues of % where the curve of Figs. 2 thrush 6 of Ref. tare net tight lines, Bq 18 dos ot ie an tal ore in those cases, he folowing from Fa. 19, which sepents on Eq. 16 representing an deta ctv, chat be cored, The rng of vl ot the presen eid ean thetfoe be cabled y ober ing where the graphs in Figs 2 through 8 of Re. stra o Attn fom sight net‘ lie of sald thar found ar presented nthe lat color of Table APPLICATION OF METHOD 1. Divide the reservoir on a map into drainage areas proportional to oftake rates per unit sand thickness of wel as prescribed in Ref. 1. 2, Plot pressure build-ups against In At, and determine 4 from Slopes. 3. Determine rg, © and A by generally known methods. 4. Check applicability of method by comparing ki/ uch with required values inthe table 5. Select Cy from the table and read straight-line parts fof pressure bulldups ‘or their extrapolations at ip Buc A/C for B. DISCUSSION In a discussion with Matthews, Brons and Hazebrock and with other build-up expert, it was pointed out thatthe Matthews-Brons-Hazebroek method worked accurately also in the transient state, although the assumption of steady is used in the division into drainage areas, The pres ent method relies more heavily oa this assumption, and, in the trsnsiet fate, becomes increasingly inaccurate for smaller production times. Identical results are obtained in the steady state, and inthis region the present method may be prefered for Its simpliity ADAPTATION TO WATER-DRIVE RESERVOIRS COMPLETE WATER DRIVE Under complete water drive the pressure at any point tends fo become constant. Drainage areas, defined In the ‘sual sense, have very irregular shapes, each one having 10 ‘be in contact with the advancing water front. In this ease itis preferable to divide the reservoir ss regularly por sible into what, in accordance with D. R. Horne,’ can be Called stocinted reservoir areas allocated to the wells. In a regularly drilled eld the associated ateas ean be by clteles. The pressure distribution can be irregular along the boundary of such an ares, but it should be constant with time. ‘The pressure at any point in the area will be the sum of a pressure p due tothe pressure Aistribution atthe boundary if the well were not produe- ing, and a negative pressure p, due to the withdrawal by ‘he well, zero pressure being assumed along the boundary. ‘According to Frank and ¥. Mises (Eq. 12), mah , en As the total flow originates from the boundary, theia: 3 5 3 io: lioio y i 3 3 3 g L,. [second pressure field is described by = ot peste aD Integration and division by a-- it es 3) Application of Eg, 22 10 the well radius gives an yy te pee tip inte - + @@ ‘The well pressure before closing in ean be expressed as on pen Be th( 142m es) and afte closing in as, potan = B+ Biel 142 0 te -osme-intieeh 20) from which it follows that t= ee BE an APPLICATION OF PROPOSED ANEVHOD Yo RESERVOIRS OF UNKNOWN PRODUCTION CHARACTER “The usual purpose of average presure determinations reservoirs also can be analyzed after division into asoclat- fd reservoir ares, rather than into drainage areas. The 31.6 for circle is applicable in the latter case. When there is doubt sbout the amount of war ter drive, itis recommended thatthe reservoir be divided regularly into assocated reservoir area and that the inter~ mediate value C, = 25 be used for the circularzed ares, ‘The inevitable range of uncertainty from 19-1 t0 31.6 ‘ould lead to errre no worse thn those from the uncer- tainty in the compresbity These errors in Ap have but Title influence on p, because pis read from a semilo ithe plot NOMENCLATURE ‘The formul table for any consistent system of unit. The units indicated below will serve as an example A= minage aren oF ssn reservoir area, om . = camstat dependent on shape of are, postion ‘of well and on production ‘unc 6. G,= integration constant aim i= exponent integral ned by ¢= effestve compressibility of reservoir fd, sand thickness, em permeability, daries ‘p= reservoir pressure dependent on place and time, atm pe well pressure, am ‘p= average pressure in drainage area or assocal- ed reservoir area, atm = closedsin presse linearly extrapolated on plot against Tn “+ A/)/At fr infinite closed In time, atm = pressure fled due only to presure distribu fon on boundary, atm ressure field due only to withdrawal by wel = pressure feld due only {0 ol expansion, stm “spc = pressure increase at the well since closing in, (Gore), = genera rate of pressure drop in roduction rte of well before closing in, c& itzed ree. 4 ‘of oil expansion in associated reservoir stance to well center, em utr radius of circular drainage area or as0- ‘ated reservar area, em re = well radius, em orrected production time, defied as cumu- ive well production divided by rate before closingin, see ar = closedin time, s82 fy = defined by 7 (84) =F on linear extrapols- tion of plot against In Ar, see = viscosity of reservoir Bud, ep $= porosity fr ACKNOWLEDGMENTS P, Hazebrock kindly made himself available as a spar ring partner in dicussions on the validity of the above theere “The permission of Shell Research N.V. Amsterdam, The Netherland, fo publish this paper i acknowledged. [REFERENCES Hanbrock, Ps “A Method fer Brewure i's Bounded Reserv, Pras AME (lst) 301, 162 Meike Morris The Flew of Homesenouy lus, Through ows Ml ctsewtt rok Cos ren New York C980) Horner, De Re "Average Reserve Presue’, Proc, Foatth World Patoleum Congres, 181 4.Fragk ond. Maas "Die Diernts bev A Tet 2Aatge, 6 APPENDIX [A CIRCULAR ASSOCIATED RESERVOIR AREA IN-A BOUNDED RESERVOIR We introduce 9, as the rate at which ol is expanding Within the sesociated area because of the general pressure Secline (p/en This rate wildlife from the preduction Fate q of the well tothe extent thatthe associated area Gifes from the drainage ser. In the cose of a non-pro- ‘ducing (observation) well, the outward flow through the boundary of the asociated area would be “The pressure fed is sow split into three simpler ones: 1 due to the pressure distribution along the boundary at snd Tnvgrlpechorthe time of closing in, while this distribution is considered Constant with time; py (aegative) caused by th withdrawal ‘by the well, constant zero pressure being assumed along the boundary: snd p, as kt would occur fora uniform rate Of pressure drop, if the well were not producing and if the pressure everywhere long the boundary just reached ‘The frst two feds ae idetial to p, and, discussed {or waterdrive reservoirs. Therefore, : an See a nen ge en “The hid lt pvr by sen ( 128) w aatper( 2 Lawn( 138) <2eher(*2), es ch can be rewrite 2(,an)___s a H)- ie oo Inerin gine ne G ie ~~ Tekh 7 . CD ‘he condition he ner boundary 2 eo for r= Beoinrno . on teas E301 an aer we Rakin oo ood Forte ntegaton nds © n= gitar ee. G3) i whic, after introduction of the outer boundary condition on p= 0 lorr becomes os) 7 (5) snd the value atthe well =e ee on ‘Addition ofthe three fields yield the average pressure senile bob gt ie 8) and the well pressure before shutin + allt iy te ot pen it gy net ie OD pon B+ eg (1+2 ine)+ “After closing i, the wel pressure ean now be expressed by ar | “The bracket form again vanishes for cA Bipaenaet SEE sere, Soon an) 2) and the true average may be expressed as @- ow ope. «@) “The indicated correction i but a minor one. Moreover, in the determination of the average presiure of the entire Teservon teancels out because xen 5 2. aay oe